The Story Behind Where’s Baldo

Every photograph has a story. This one’s mine.

If you spend more than a few minutes in my booth at a market, you’ll eventually hear me say,

“Every photograph has a story.”

That’s because they do.

Some start with a cup of coffee and a sunrise.

Some start with a browser tab I leave open for three months because I know I’ll be back when the conditions are right.

Some begin with Robin yelling, “Stop the truck!”

The photograph is only part of the story.

Everything that happened before I pressed the shutter is what makes it memorable.

Photography has been part of my life for more than twenty years.

I picked up my first Nikon camera in 2006, simply because I’d always been fascinated by photography and wanted to explore it for myself. I had a lot to learn, but that little camera taught me something far more important than camera settings.

It taught me to pay attention.

In 2007, I met Robin, and we were married two years later. We spent the next decade following my Air Force career around the country while always keeping Brunswick County home. After retiring from the military, we sold almost everything that wouldn’t fit into a 10×10 storage unit and spent two years traveling the world.

Friends were constantly asking,

“Where’s Baldo this week?”

When it came time to name my photography business, there was really only one choice.

In 2023, we moved back home to Brunswick County.

That’s also the year I became intentional about becoming a better photographer.

There’s a big difference between wanting to improve and deciding to improve.

So I started studying.

I read everything I could about composition, light, wildlife behavior, storytelling, and the night sky. I practiced. I made mistakes. I compared today’s work to yesterday’s instead of comparing myself to someone else.

I’m still doing that.

One lesson changed everything.

I stopped looking for pretty places and started looking for relationships.

A lighthouse beneath the Milky Way.

A SpaceX rocket crossing the night sky.

A pelican reflected in perfectly still water.

An old barn waiting for its first snowfall.

I began seeing photographs long before they existed.

Now my Google Maps is full of hundreds of saved locations. Every pin is a place that made me stop and think,

“One day…”

Then I wait.

For fog.

For snow.

For the moon.

For the Milky Way.

For the right tide.

For wildlife to do what wildlife does.

Because the best photographs aren’t forced.

They’re discovered.

In March of 2025, Robin suggested I try selling a few of my photographs.

I laughed.

I told her nobody was going to buy pictures of the things I liked photographing.

As it turns out, the worst thing that can happen to a husband happened.

My wife was right.

Today you’ll find me at markets across Brunswick County, and my favorite part of every market isn’t making a sale.

It’s the conversations.

Someone points at a photograph and asks,

“How did you get this one?”

Now we’re talking.

Maybe it’s the story about waiting two months for the moon to line up over Southport.

Maybe it’s the pelican that wasn’t angry… just cold.

Maybe it’s the sea turtle that had absolutely no respect for Hawaii’s personal space laws.

Or maybe it’s the morning I drove all the way to Sunset Beach only to realize I’d left my camera bag sitting at home.

Those conversations are why I love what I do.

People often tell me they love my photographs because they tell a story.

I take that as the highest compliment I can receive.

Because that’s what I’ve always hoped for.

Not just beautiful images…

But photographs that make people pause, ask a question, smile, learn something, and maybe see the world a little differently than they did before.

So whether you’re looking for a photograph of your favorite beach, a piece of local wildlife, a night sky over Brunswick County, or you’d simply like to hear the story behind one of the images…

Welcome.

I’m glad you stopped by.

And if you ever see me at a market…

Point at any photograph.

I promise there’s a story behind it.

P.S. If you see me at the market, you’ll usually see me standing close to my Where’s Baldo sign. Unlike the other guy, I’m actually trying to be found.